I also said I would start this project in the Spring, but I am a sucker for impulsive decisions when it comes to creativity. If the feeling is right, you must act on it. I came across some pretty papers and fabulous textures over at Michael’s yesterday. I couldn’t resist the need to snatch them up and begin demolition day on the Tudor Doll House.

After a careful examination of the house and which rooms will benefit from these textures and color palettes, I was ready to thrash this place. You’ll need a scraper to start.

You’ll also need a little fairy nymph to help you tear out the old wall paper, old carpets and foam floors, and dried hot glue. No scraper for the little one but tiny fingers are still very helpful! We scraped together and that seemed safe enough. Remember getting the little ones involved in each step is important and helps them to take pride and ownership in what they are creating.

Once everything old was torn out and it seemed to be a decent foundation to build upon, I got to get into the fun stuff. Never tear out anything with vintage character that can be reworked. Textures are essential to making a strong statement with nice variety. I found thin cork board, a woven linen paper that had an adhesive backing (amazing) and a clam shell-like glossy thick paper that resembled kitchen tiles (fancy ones) but utilitarian none-the-less. This is a fabulous starting point to throw down some cheap flooring.

I will be using hot glue and double-sided tape to lay these floors. If your doll house find has any old carpets or flooring templates, pieces, scraps – by all means use them for a pattern! So important so you don’t have to measure and create one from scratch for every part of the doll house. It can get tedious.

I laid down the old white and black checkered kitchen floor (which I didn’t love) to make a perfect pattern piece for the kitchen floor. Simple as that, trace the old one on top of the new and cut. Never cut too small. Always go very slow and cut little bits at a time to make changes or you could so easily ruin a large piece of flooring. I just did that so that’s why I stress this. There’s nothing more irritating than wasting fabulous materials because you were too lazy or working too fast for your own good.

This will conclude Part 1. Take a break. Tearing out all the old can be time consuming and frustrating. Make sure to take breaks from tedious aspects so you don’t take the joy out of the process. Have fun with your fixer upper. To be continued…